The use of a transmission is required in most vehicles which are powered by combustion engines. Conventional automatic transmissions are not usable on motorcycles and other light vehicles as a result of their typically large size and shape. In particular motorcycle drive systems require a light weight and compact construction with specific mounting arrangement. Although various automatic transmissions for motorcycles are known, as a result of sizing restrictions, heretofore conventional transmissions are provided with a reduced number of forward gears to enable the transmission to be made sufficiently small to permit their mounting on the motorcycle frame.